 Well,
another trip became beautiful memories for us! Dennis and I just
came back from San Francisco, California. Dr. Margaret Nikol, a remarkable
lady (originally from Bulgaria, but now an American citizen) who spoke
at our church recently and she said: "I call California 'The Promised
Land' — I lived there and when I left California to live in Texas, I promised
never to live there again." And Dennis refers to California simply
as: "The land of Fruits and Nuts." We pretty much share her point
of view. California is wonderful, but Texas is home.
We booked in at the legendary Fairmont Hotel in San Francisco and were fortunate enough to get a luxurious room in The Tower. The Fairmont represents the epitome of style and elegance, with a reputation for unparalleled service. Built in 1906, this distinguished and historic hotel, centrally located atop Nob Hill has convenient access to the cable car line. As part of the Fairmont's $85.M renovation, the Lobby has been restored to its turn-of-the-century elegance.
Across the street from our hotel is another very impressive landmark — the old Flood Mansion. It is the only one of the original mansions on the Hill that did not burn down in the maelstrom of the 1906 quake. That is because its exterior walls were built of Connecticut sandstone. James Flood probably chose to imitate the style of 5th Avenue mansions over the prevailing wood Victorian style on The Hill. This extra bit of Yankee snobbery may have saved his house. Unfortunately, the brownstone seems rather out of place on Nob Hill; it exudes dullness and insipidity in a place where nature and man have graced all else with color and life. Flood was one of the Bonanza Kings who became rich from Comstock Lode silver. Before he became a stockbroker on the Mining Exchange and began quietly buying stock, he was a saloon keeper.
Certainly lots of history on 'The Hill' ... and it makes good reading! Enough of 'Snob Hill' ... oops! I mean Nob Hill. |
Designed
by architect Julia Morgan, the Lobby boasts original design features such
as Corinthian columns trimmed in gold and an alabaster marble floor dating
back to 1907. The Tower's modern guest rooms feature breathtaking, panoramic
views of the bay and city. The main building has a lavish Victorian decor
and it is hard not to let your jaw drop at the sight of such exquisite
marble — even our bathroom was marble from top to bottom! What a
fabulous hotel!
Nob
Hill is something else! You've got to admit there is no place like it —
a rarified atmosphere, found only perhaps in story books, or on that fabled
place the Greeks called Mount Olympus, where the gods sipped nectar and
looked down upon the lives of mortals. Though almost everything on the
Hill burned down in the aftermath of the 1906 earthquake — some said it
was retribution for profligate living — you can still walk around this
little piece of heaven and spot tantalizing traces of former times.
Today
the Flood Mansion houses a stodgy old-boys fraternity of the wealthy, the
(Pacific Union) "P-U" Club. In or out of the drab-looking building
with drapes pulled at the windows, nowadays few seem to come or go.
Around the mansion is a brass gate, now tarnished green. In earlier
times, one servant was assigned at all times to polish it.